Cesar Azpilicueta has said he wants to dedicate a win over West Ham United to Chelsea legend Ray Wilkins.

Sadly, Wilkins has passed away at the age of 61 as the former Blues midfielder suffered a cardiac arrest on Friday March 30 and was rushed to St George's Hospital in Tooting where the doctors decided to place him into an induced coma.

However, he never recovered and it was announced through the hospital's website that the former assistant manager had passed away on Wednesday.

In the Blues' first outing since his passing they welcome their London rivals to Stamford Bridge in a bid to bounce back from last weekend's home defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur.

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It's already been confirmed by the club that a minute’s applause will occur before kick-off in west London, while both sets of players will wear black armbands in honour of Ray Wilkins' memory.

Chelsea's FA Youth Cup side stand during a minute's silence the memory of Ray Wilkins ahead of their match with Birmingham City (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Azpilicueta issued his own personal tribute to Wilkins.

"I would like to personally pay tribute to Ray and for what he did for football, especially at our club, and my condolences go out to his family," he told the club's official website.

"I think the way he supported and loved the club was fantastic and, as well as a minute’s applause, I think winning the game would be the best way to say thanks to him and his family for everything he has done for Chelsea.

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"We all know how important he was for this club and especially for a lot of our players, as he played a big role for them.

"We have young players here that have come through the academy that knew him very well and even though I didn’t get to meet him personally, I am fully aware of what he did for this football club. Everybody has spoken only good words about him and people hold him very highly in their thoughts."

A photo of Ray Wilkins was shown on the screen before the Premier League match between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Wilkins was much loved at the Blues where he was a player for them between 1973–1979 and was one of the key men when the Blues were going through a crisis following relegation in 1975.

Then manager Eddie McCreadie handed Wilkins, just 18 years of age, the captaincy and from there he was a major part of the side gaining promotion once again.

He always had a strong connection with Chelsea and would return to the club to help them to a superb double in the 2009/10 campaign.

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